The Onward Delivery Difference

Published On: April 7, 2020|Updated On: April 9, 2020|Jeana Hollis

Onward Delivers Groceries and Prescriptions.

As coronavirus devastates our communities, mandates have been put into place to keep everyone safe. Older generations, most vulnerable to the disease, have been encouraged to stay at home and shelter in place. However, items like groceries and prescription medication are vital for them to be healthy.

Onward’s mission is to provide compassionate assistance for those who need it. Now more than ever, Onward is committed to helping navigate the new obstacles we all face because of COVID-19. Therefore, Onward has launched a delivery service so customers can get their much needed items for when they can’t pick them up themselves.

How is Onward Delivery Different?

Given the current circumstances, people have been lucky to have many delivery options available to them. However, given everyone's unique needs, those services aren’t always able to fulfill all of what people need.

Multiple Stops:

Many times, services that offer delivery are restricted to a particular store or a set category. These companies allow you to get your groceries delivered from one specific supermarket, or you can get takeout food delivered from a select group of restaurants. Since shopping items and errands aren’t always limited to just one location, Onward allows our customers to select multiple stops in a single trip. For example, a recent customer had specific items from various stores that she needed. She instructed our driver to do the following route:

1st stop: Trader Joe’s

2nd stop: Mollie Stone’s

3rd stop: CVS drug store

4th stop: Bolinas Market

5th stop: Post Office

Our driver shopped for all of the items on the list at the various locations and then picked up her mail at her P.O. Box before dropping everything off.

Customers don’t need to have multiple stops, but deliveries from Onward are flexible for our customers’ needs. In fact, one of our customers really wanted to write her grocery list on a piece of paper, so our driver went to her house and picked up the list from her mailbox before heading out to shop!

Ordering Over the Phone:

Another problem that some customers have with other delivery services is that they require online ordering. Many of our customers don’t have smartphones or simply aren’t used to being online. They know the shopping items they need, but navigating an app or website can be difficult. Onward’s concierge-like service makes it easy to place orders right over the phone. And, customers who would rather order online can use our app or website to type in their lists, continuing to offer our customers the flexibility they need.

Given that many of our customers don’t use smartphones and aren’t online, if an item is out of stock at the supermarket, our drivers will try and reach our customers on the phone to discuss substitutions.

Extra Safety Measures:

The health and safety of our drivers and customers are a top priority at Onward, and we have been following the advice of professional health organizations like the Center of Disease Control (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO). Therefore, Onward drivers are taking the following extra precautions for deliveries:

Ensuring their car has been wiped down between trips

Cleaning and disinfecting their hands before entering the item pick-up location

Place the items at the doorstep after it has been wiped down with disinfectant

Knock on the door and then step 6 feet away from the door and wait for the customer to answer

Call the customer and leave a message letting them know that their items are outside if there is no answer at the door

These extra steps help ensure that our customers can get the items they need while also remaining safe and healthy at home.

Onward’s core service is to provide rides to those who can’t drive themselves. In fact, we have implemented new safety requirements for rides during this coronavirus outbreak so we can still offer ride service for those who need to get to their essential appointments, like dialysis or chemotherapy. However, our mission is centered on compassionate assistance, and we can’t think of a better time to offer help and support to those who need it most under these difficult circumstances. Offering deliveries to our customers so they can stay healthy helps us stay true to our mission.